Sunday 11/6/11 Woke up to a great morning. There was a high overcast but just the faintest breeze. We refueled at Harbor Island Marina in Solomans Island, MD. While we headed down the bay the overcast gave way to clear blue skies. The east wind of around 10 Kts. gave us a gentle roll as we made our way south.
We turned west into Fleets Bay going up Indian Creek and arrived at Pitman Cove at 3:50P. What a beautiful area. This is a quiet cove is surrounded by elegant houses, but still has a rural atmosphere. Soon after we anchored a great couple, Dan and Debby, who were out in their dinghy, came to welcome us. They just moved here from NJ about seven months ago and have their sailboat docked at their house on Pitman Cove. We really enjoyed meeting and talking with them.
Pitman Cove: N 37° 41.588 W76° 21.091
Monday 11/7/11 Just after sunrise Pitman Cove was alive with color. The trees showed everything from brilliant yellows to bright orange and blazing reds. We pulled anchor and refueled at Chesapeake Boat Basin. IndianCreek was clear, but there was fog on the Bay. We went back to the anchorage to wait it out and Dan came by and wished us a good morning as he was taking his dinghy to a meeting. The fog lifted around 10:00A and again we were southbound.. Light east winds gave another day of comfortable travel. Evening found us in the Poquonson River near Langley Air Force Base. Tomorrow should be the trip through Hampton Roads and the Elizabeth River through the Norfolk/Portsmouth area.
Poquoson River : N 37°09.071 W 076°24.710
Tuesday 11/8/11 Another morning with clear skies and light breezes. It’s a great day for going the remainder of Chesapeake Bay and into Hampton Roads… Not so fast there Captain! The starboard volt meter is only showing battery voltage. The alternator is not charging. I checked it out and found a broken terminal on the field wire. I replaced it, but there was a lot of black residue under the alternator and I wasn’t sure what it was. We called Dare Marina, just around the corner from where we anchored, and talked with General Manager Mike Hanna. He said they can either find a replacement alternator or have ours repaired if needed. We were met at the dock by Captain Bob James who serves as dock master and Tow Boat U.S. Captain. He got us settled in.
While backing into the marina slip the port side reverse decided to quit! So I guess we will have them take a look at it too. Maybe it’s time to take a break and go ashore. One of the lessons I have “almost” learned from life is… normally the situation is not as bad as it is perceived. Dennis Sparks, Dare’s mechanic with 35 years’ experience, said the black residue was “belt smutz”(His term for the dust from the new belt breaking in). Then he checked the transmission linkage above the water line and didn’t find any problem. That means the boat will have to be hauled out. Dare Marina has a fork lift, not a travel lift. TwoGether is too big for them to haul out. Mike actually scheduled us in at another marina to have us hauled out on Wednesday. Dennis would come there to continue his inspection.
Wednesday 11/9/11 We are scheduled to be at York Haven Marina at 9:00A for haul out. Pea Soup! Visibility, maybe 50 yards (if you squint really hard). Finally around 10:00 the fog lifts for about ten minutes then back to zero. Captain Bob came to the boat and said they are ready for us at York Haven. If we want he will escort us down through the fog. That sounds like a good idea. As we left for the 3 ½ mile trip the fog started to break again. That lasted about five minutes and we were in it again. The channel is rather narrow and goes from eight feet to nada in a heartbeat.
I have been privileged to fly in in the cockpit of airplanes while making instrument landings to minimums. But you always break out into at least ¼ mile visibility before touch down. Captain Bob took us through fog so thick we could not see beyond his boat 30 yard ahead. We didn’t see the channel markers (which he made everyone right on) until he had passed them and then they were only an eerie shadow passing abeam. The last few markers are less than 75 yards apart bring you into a “z” shaped channel. Just as we reached the marina the fog started to lift for the day.
York Haven Marina is an Old-Salts type of place located in White House Cove, off Bennett Creek. There are old workboats being repaired and restored. The haul out was in progress when Dennis arrived. They were giving her a wash-down and it was lunchtime so Linda, Dennis and I walked next door to Owens Marina/Restaurant. If you are ever in this area it’s worth the “Z” channel trip. The food was great! The service was great! They don’t have a website so you just have to take my word for it.
The reverse problem turned out to be a missing locknut on the cable. Dennis went for some lock nuts and in a about an hour had us ready to be “splashed”. On the trip back to Dare Marina we realized, and were amazed at, how Captain Bob negotiated the trip without a hitch. He is a real professional. We returned to the slip and checked the weather radio. The next few days call for high winds and waves. It looks like we just might stay tied up here for the weekend.
In this area I haven’t heard the female computer voice on the weather radio I call “Wanda the Weather Witch” but the male counterpart our friends Bill and Pree Bell, who owned the sailboat Nightwind, call “Lying Larry”. Either one will get you if you don’t pay attention.
Dare Marina: N37° 11.014 W076° 25.367
That’s right.
Out of a 5 star rating we give them a 6!
No comments:
Post a Comment